After air raid sirens sound in Tel Aviv & Rishon Lezion at around 4:30pm, new Battery deployed in Tel Aviv area on Saturday makes 1st interception.

By Yoav Zitun

For the third time in three days an air raid siren sounded in Tel Aviv. The Iron Dome battery which had been deployed in the region just hours earlier intercepted one rocket fired from Gaza. Another rocket landed in an open area. No injuries were reported.

Hamas‘ military wing, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the firing of the Fajr 5 missile.

Interception of rocket fired toward Tel Aviv

At around 4:30 pm, an air raid siren sounded in the Tel Aviv area and in Rishon Lezion. A blast sound was heard two minutes later. Shortly thereafter sirens were also heard in Beersheba, Sderot and Ashdod. In Ashdod, a rocket landed in an open area. No injuries were reported. In Sderot, two rockets were intercepted and another landed in an open area at the Bnei Shimon Regional Council.

Rocket intercepted over Tel Aviv – Photo: Gilad Morag

On Friday, a siren was heard in Tel Aviv at 1:29 pm and was followed by a blast. The rocket exploded in an open area. Hamas claimed responsibility for the firing. The Tel Aviv Municipality then decided to open all shelters in the city for the public.

On Thursday, Tel Aviv first came under the rocket range. The Islamic Jihad fired two missiles at the city. The IDF said that no rockets hit the ground. There were no injuries.

Moment of interception – Photo: Shahar Laudon

Earlier on Saturday, a barrage of four rockets was fired from Gaza toward Ashdod at around noon Saturday. One of the rockets struck a building in the city and two others landed in a residential area.

A number of people suffered from anxiety. The fourth projectile did not cause any injury but damaged a vehicle. Channel 2 said four people sustained light wounds during the attack on Ashdod. They were evacuated to the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot.

Roughly 15 minutes after the direct hit on the building the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted another four-rocket salvo that was fired toward Ashdod.

A short while later another rocket launched by Palestinian terrorists hit a house located in the Negev’s Eshkol Regional Council.

The house was empty at the time of the attack. A barrage of five rockets was fired from Gaza toward Beersheba, all exploding in open areas. Four rockets fired toward Be’er Tuvia were intercepted.

Earlier on Saturday, four soldiers sustained light injuries when a mortar landed in the Eshkol Regional Council.

More than 60 rockets were fired toward Israel on Saturday after the Israeli aircraft leveled the Hamas government building in Gaza City.

View original Ynet publication at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4307195,00.html